A GANGSTER'S wedding descended into chaos when his mistress showed up – and fought with the bride.

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The wedding, at a plush midlands hotel, turned violent after a row broke out over the crimelord's affections.

The groom, considered one of the capital's most dangerous hoods, had been living a romantic double life. But his wife-to-be knew nothing of the other woman – until her wedding day.

She learned the distressing news when her new husband's mistress, who had been invited to the reception, approached her.

Violent

A vicious brawl involving two sets of females broke out at the luxury hotel in the early hours in front of stunned onlookers.

The Herald understands that at least two women are still in hospital as a result of the injuries they received in the melee on Sunday morning.

"This was some scene – maybe it was inevitable that an extremely violent incident would occur at this event considering who the groom was," said a source.

"After what was said and happened between the women, it is safe to assume that he is not enjoying what is supposed to be his honeymoon.

"He had been confined to Ireland anyway because of the bail conditions that have been imposed on him but he is in a bit of bother and this time it is not from the gardai."

The Tallaght criminal went to ground after the wedding because he needed "a bit of head space." Sources say that he was meant to be travelling around Ireland on honeymoon this week but has barely seen his new wife since the brawl.

The criminal – who cannot be named for legal reasons – is facing significant drugs, firearms and ammunition charges before the courts.

He has previously served jail sentences for extremely serious offences. The gangster is understood to be staying with his mother in Tallaght after spending a number of days "awol" after the wedding. The fight at the wedding bears some resemblance to scenes from one of Coronation Street's more memorable storylines.

In a famous wedding episode on the soap, broadcast nine years ago, Tracy Barlow confronted bride Karen McDonald on her wedding day.

Tracy told Karen her husband-to-be Steve McDonald was the father of her daughter Amy.

A furious Karen then went to attack Tracy with a pair of red stilletos. Steve and Karen did eventually marry – and divorced some time later.

In real life though, the groom at the centre of this week's drama was previously arrested by gardai in south Dublin after they foiled an attempted hit on gangsters who owed money to the drugs gang he works with.

Crimelord

This crew are led by a veteran crimelord who is strongly believed to be involved in international drugs trafficking and who recently had to pay out a large five-figure sum in extortion money to dissident terrorists after they placed him on a hitlist when he previously refused to pay up.

The gang have been also collecting drugs money on behalf of drugs crimelord Christy Kinahan. Sources say there has been "internal strife" in the gang recently after one junior associates was savagely attacked by senior members in a supermarket car park in south Dublin.